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MAKE A NOTE . .. Next fall you can take private guided Jeep trips through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. After experimenting one season we have to stay in business. 4-WHEEL-DRIVE DESERT TOURS Box 511, Borrego Springs, 92004 or (714)767-5707 BOOKS Order FREE Catalogue DESERT MAGAZINE BOOK STORE Palm Desert, California 92260 GENUINE DOMESTICATED GOLDEN CHIA SEEDS (SALVIA COLUMBARIAE) Sufficient for four 50-foot rows. Complete instructions. Packet: $2.00. HARRISON DOYLE P.O. Box 785 Vista, California 92083 Lowest Photo Print Prices Highest Quality KODACOLOR FILM DEVELOPED & PRINTED Standard 12 Jumbo Prints 2.18 Standard 12 Jumbo Prints and New Roll of KODACOLOR 3.34 Kodacolor Neg. Standard reprints 15 SEND FOR PRICE SHEETS & ENVELOPES. All Photo Prices are Comparably low No gimmicks. No lies. More than 50 years of continuous photo service guarantees your quality and our integrity. MARKET BASKET PHOTO CO. D. P. O. Box 370, Yuma, Arizona 85364 or P. O. Box 2830, San Diego, Calif. 92112 40 Rambling on Hocks by GLENN and MARTHA VARGAS IMPERIAL TOPAZ: "The New Precious Gem" AVER THE YEARS we have resisted oi the term "precious gem" because it \f tends to indicate only a few gems that command a high price, and are readily available to the jewelry trade. Usually, the "precious gems" include diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald and pearl. There are others such as alexandrite and high prices such as alexandrite and cat's-eye (which are both chrysoberyl). In our minds these should also fall in the "precious" classification. Regardless of our past thinking, imperial topaz is now rapidly approaching the price range of sapphires and rubies. During our recent trip to Brazil, we saw excellent cut gems in the vicinity of 30 carats, or slightly larger, priced at $40,000 per gem. Fine, transparent, deep-orange crystals, about the size of an adult index finger, were being offered at $6,000 per crystal. It is possible that these prices could have been bargained down a bit, but at those levels what is a few hundred or a few thousand dollars? Imperial topaz-has had an interesting history. Only a few mines in a small district of Brazil produce this and a nice golden color. The golden is much more common than the orange. Both colors have always been rare, and commanded a fairly high price in relation to most other popular-priced gems. This rarity fostered imitation. Certain types of amethyst, when heated carefully, will turn to a yellow or orange color. For many years, this heat-treated AuroPrieto, Brazil Topaz Mine. amethyst has been sold as "topaz." The practice has been carried on for so long a time that most gem dealers do not feel that the offering of citrine as topaz is fraudulent. In fact, the word citrine is often not part of their vocabulary. The labeling of citrine as topaz is now illegal in this country, but we still see it on rare occasions. In virtually every other country, the practice goes on without any restraint. In Brazil, it is actually an insult to tell a dealer that his "topaz" is citrine. The mineral topaz is found in a number of colors. The most common is colorless, which is found in many countries. A nice deep blue is found in Colorado, Texas, Brazil and some African countries. An interesting golden color is found in Utah, but this quickly fades on exposure to light. Mexico produces a nice pinkish-golden color that really defies being named. It is often called champagne or sherry color, but the allusions are not good. A pink topaz comes from Brazil, but crystals are usually very small. A very fine red comes from Afghanistan, with some of the crystals at least finger size. A red is also reported from Russia. A green topaz is known, but it is very rare. Our present-day technology has had an interesting effect on the topaz market. If colorless topaz is exposed to Desert/ May 1977
gamma ray irradiation, it turns to an intense deep blue. The color, however, does not really match that of any known natural topaz. There is no danger of any radiation effects, and the color is evidently permanent. We have seen excellent examples of this blue topaz, both cut and uncut, and feel that it will become a popular gem. Undoubtedly, when topaz was first irradiated, imperial topaz color was hoped for. We had the privilege of visiting a mine where imperial topaz is found, and were able to purchase a small amount. This mine was huge, covering most of a large mountain. At the time of our visit, the miners had found no good crystals for more than two weeks. The mine was really uninteresting. Miners were digging in a brownish to reddish rock that was very decomposed. We saw virtually no crystals in place, and were told that they appeared in a reddish mud without any advance signs. The one reliable advance sign is a few quartz crystals. As far as we could determine, the topaz orginally formed in the usual gem pockets along with quartz. Weathering or other changes broke apart the pockets and liberated the contents into a mudlike material that is probably a decomposition product of the rock that surrounded the original pocket. This situation tends to force the miners to dig al- Desert/May 1977 most blindly, with the hope of finding a pocket without any real leads to follow. This certainly tends to add to the price of the good gem quality crystals. Before our Brazil trip, we knew that imperial topaz prices were rising and we certainly saw this while we were there. We have discussed rising gem prices in our July 1976 column, noting that all gems are rising in price. The present rise of the price of imperial topaz is much greater in proportion to any other gem. Recently, we received a form letter from One Of Our Brazilian dealer friends, telling us that if a dealer in this country has an imperial topaz gem of five carats or larger, he should immediately raise the price at least 200 percent and a maximum of 300 percent! For many years, imperial topaz has been referred to as precious topaz, to differentiate it from the citrine imitation. We have never liked the term, and have spoken against it. Now we must eat our words, for this fine orange gem is really becoming precious. • An oasis in the red rock and canyon country of southeast Utah — RECAPTURE LODGE £ TOURS Bluff, Utah Nightly slide shows - geologist-guided tours - heated pool - automatic laundry - lawn games - group accomodations. San Juan river trips arranged Gene and Mary Foushee / Bluff, Utah 84512 / [801 ] 672-2281 Come Join the Colorado River Cruise MAY 14-15,1977 150-MILE ROUND TRIP FROM BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA TO MARTINEZ, ARIZONA Overnight stay at Martinez includes: Barbecue Dinner and Dance Pancake Breakfast Sunday ENTRY FORMS AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE P.O. Box 1219 Blythe, Calif. 92225 227 E. Hobsonway 714-922-8166 41
Page 1 and 2: MAY
Page 3 and 4: WILLIAM and JOY KNYVETT Co-Publishe
Page 5 and 6: 3 GREAT BOOKS! INDIAN JEWELRY MAKIN
Page 7 and 8: Another edition is also available w
Page 9 and 10: empire of the San YsidYu Mountains.
Page 11 and 12: Yucca plume rises above slope of Sa
Page 13 and 14: country solvent was the powerful Ne
Page 15 and 16: When the fruit [left] of the jojoba
Page 17 and 18: HE STATE of Arizona offers many "co
Page 19 and 20: ed States that has its mail deliver
Page 21 and 22: i PPROACHING from either north or s
Page 23 and 24: few months prior to World War II. P
Page 26 and 27: At 1,000 feet one can observe dista
Page 28 and 29: DESERT JOURNAI Editor's Note: This
Page 30 and 31: In the same locale nighthawks by th
Page 32 and 33: NO. 6 IN A SERIES ON CALIFORNIA PAL
Page 34 and 35: QHQSTS by HOWARD NEAL Qoldfield, Ne
Page 36 and 37: . ..at*. » DESERT CLIMBERS by K. L
Page 38 and 39: 38 DESERT EXPEDITIONS, INC. DESERT
Page 42 and 43: BOOKS-MAGAZINES GEMS AND MINERALS M
Page 44 and 45: Send orders to Box 1318 Palm Desert
Page 46 and 47: Letters to the Editor Letters reque
Page 48: At the beautiful, clean Monument Va

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